It's Merely A Business Transaction
by Ari Eliza
Summary: Inoue Orihime didn't think that he would propose this...she didn't think he would ask her to be his surrogate mother. She definitely didn't think she would end up falling for him. Ulquihime, UlquiXHime. Rated T for now but subjected to change.


Hello Readers!

So, this is my first story in a very long time. Last time I posted any of my work onto FFnet, I was 11 years old. Yikes! Such a long time.

Check out C. Holywell-Black's _The Darwinian Theory_, we had the same concept of a surrogate mother for our stories! It is a Death Note fic and a LXOC pairing. Great read! Check it out!

Special thanks to Jm1681 for editing! Thanks! Owe ya a bunch!

_Italics_ – are equivalent to memories/flashbacks.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Bleach or any of its characters. They all belong to Tite Kubo.

On with the story, hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 1:** A Big Chest Can Get You Any Man

_Her grey eyes watered having heard the news. She could feel her heart beat at an unbelievable speed. Her body trembled and shoulders shook in remorse. Fresh tears ran down her rosy cheeks, her legs caved beneath her, and her body crumbled to the tiled floor. If only she hadn't argued with him. If only she had just worn the stupid hairclips maybe he would still be alive. Maybe he wouldn't have been drowned in his own thoughts and would have seen the car; he would still be alive, smiling down at her and promising everlasting happiness. She could vaguely feel the arms of her friend embrace her, coaxing her to stand. Subconsciously, she shook her head and could barely hear herself wail uncontrollably._

"_Sora…Sora. I-it c-can't be! No! He has to be alive…I was so mean to him! P-please doctor…don't lie to me…" her voice trailed on. The sadness in her grey orbs capturing the doctor's eyes. He shook his head, only confirming this nightmare. _

"_I'm sorry, Ms. Inoue."_

_Her body continued to shake and she turned in the arms embracing her, staining her sorrows on the shirt of her best friend. "Tatsuki…why?" _

_Sora was gone and guilt swallowed her whole._

Orihime's eyes blinked several times, Oh good…it was only a memory.

"Orihime…Orihime…Orihime…" Her name rang through her ears. The delicate hand on her shoulder sprung her from her thoughts. "Orihime, are you okay? I was calling your name for a while now." Orihime looked up at her friend, giving her a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuki, I was just thinking how amazing it would be to have you over for dinner!" Orihime beamed, still trying to compose herself from her memories.

Tatsuki felt her blood run cold, there was no way she would eat Orihime's cooking. She didn't find red beans, rice and chocolate syrup a delicious combination. In fact, it sort of made her stomach hurt just thinking about it. "Haha…well…you see, I have practice after-school and it may run late. There's a tournament coming up, so I can't miss practice." She scratched the back of her head and laughed sheepishly. She wasn't lying to her friend though, the tournament was coming close.

"Yeah right, Tatsuki, don't lie to her," came the masculine voice of Kurosaki Ichigo. Orihime's ears perked at the sound of his voice and she shifted in her seat. His arms were crossed and a smirk embellished his face. This was the guy she completely felt like an idiot around. Every time he was around her heart raced, her hands began to sweat, her stomach felt tied in knots, and her little nervous antics kicked in.

"Mind your own business, carrot top!" retorted another voice. Orihime turned and forced a smile on her face; Kuchiki Rukia, the girlfriend of her crush. Rukia was an amazing person. She was strong, funny, and charismatic; all the things she could only dream of being. No wonder Ichigo was with her. They made a great couple, although seldom argued over mediocre things.

"Yeah! Mind your own business," agreed her best friend. "I do too have practice today."

"Uh…it's okay guys. You don't have to argue over this!" Orihime spoke, interrupting the playful argument.

"Orihime! Join us for dinner tonight. A bunch of us are going to Kasames'." Rukia smiled at her.

Orihime's forced smile remained on her face. It's not that she didn't like Rukia. No, that was not it at all. She looked up to her, possibly even envied her because of Ichigo. She wouldn't hold that against her and she wouldn't ruin a friendship with Rukia over a crush. Well, not just a crush. It was love and she had accepted the fact but she knew it was not meant to be. It was just another "unrequited love" situation except he wasn't aware of her feelings.

"Ah. Thank you, but I just remembered I have to work someone's shift today," she declined politely.

"Aww come on, Orihime! We invite you places all the time and you never come!" called Keigo, as he attempted to tackle the orange-haired girl in a hug before Ichigo tripped him. Keigo crashed into a nearby desk and tumbled face first on the floor.

"That's because she's busy, unlike you, dumbass!"

"That's okay! Maybe next time," Rukia responded. "We'll see you around!" With that, she walked off with Ichigo, a bruised Keigo, a quiet Chad, and equally silent Uryu in tow.

"Are you sure you don't want to go? You can always skip work," Tatsuki proposed.

Orihime stood and began packing her books. "I can't; I really need the money. My aunt is having her own financial struggle so she can't pay for my place anymore."

"I told you, you can live with me!" Both girls exited the classroom and began the journey home.

"I can't do that, Tatsuki. But, I really appreciate your offer."

"So accept it! Jeez, what are friends supposed to be for? Stop being so humble."

"It's okay, maybe I'll need the offer in the future. Yes?"

"Fine, fine. If you say so." Both girls came to a halt and Tatsuki hugged her friend. "This is my stop, I'll see you tomorrow."

Orihime gave her an affirming nod and hugged her back. She began her silent walk home, thanking whatever higher power that school was ending in a day. Now, she could pick up more hours and pay for her little apartment. She currently worked part-time at a middle class restaurant as a waitress. She had already graduated, earning her high-school diploma, but her school insisted on an extra week of school in order to lecture the students on the topic of college; what to do and what _not_ to do. She found it a bit pointless, as she couldn't afford to go to college anyway. All her friends were going, whether away from home or in the community didn't matter. The point was she wanted to go to college too.

If only Sora was still alive, he would have helped her get into college, even if it was community college. He would have helped her pick a good college and would have been around to witness her teenage melodramatic moments. The thought caused her to frown. It was her own fault she wasn't going to college. It was her fault Sora wasn't with her to begin with. If she had worn the hair-clips without complaining about them being so childish, he wouldn't have been saddened. He wouldn't have been thinking about the event. He would have been aware of his surroundings and would have avoided getting hit by the car. If only, she hadn't been so stupid. She could feel her eyes water, but immediately shook the tear-worthy thoughts away.

She reached her apartment and much to her dismay, the dreadfully embarrassing pink slip was taped to her door. She yanked it off and shoved it into her schoolbag, occasionally glancing around. The last thing she wanted was neighbors realizing she couldn't pay for her apartment. She was glad Tatsuki didn't come with her. She was already three months late on payment. She had spoken to her landlord and told her that she was in a very compromising situation. Her aunt could no longer her pay for her place, she had to hurry and find a job. Her landlord wasn't very pleased to say the least, and told her to have the rent paid in three months' time. Unfortunately, she only had two weeks left to come up with 240,000 yen. She could safely say she had one-third of the money saved. Otherwise, she was more or less screwed. She sighed, if Sora was here…he would help her. She disappeared into her modest apartment and prepared for her shift at work.

"Welcome to Hyorinmaru! My name is Orihime and I will be your server this evening," The orange-haired girl spoke, placing four menus on the table. She wore the typical black skirt that hugged her figure and white collared shirt that turned out to be too small for her ample bosom. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked, pen and notepad in hand. The customers asked for water and Orihime nodded, disappearing to the kitchen to retrieve their drinks. She bumped into her rambunctious co-worker.

"Ohh! Orihime! You look so sexy in that uniform of yours," winked the loud woman.

"Ah..Rangiku!" she blushed. "Please don't say things like that."

"Nonsense! It's true, every guy in here must be oogling those beauties of yours!" she replied, slinging an arm over the shy girl's shoulders and signaling to the girl's bust. "Of course, mine are just as outrageous as yours!" she added, letting go of the girl and stealing an alcoholic drink from a passing-by waiter. She took a gulp and placed it back on the tray. "Yum that was so good!"

"Rangiku!" an angry voice roared and the boisterous woman shrieked. "I saw that! You had better replace that drink!"

Both women turned to look at the short man. His teal eyes signified anger and annoyance. Rangiku waved her boss off, "Yeah, yeah. I got it!" She smiled flirtingly and walked off.

"Orihime, get those drinks to the customers," Toshiro ordered, walking past her.

Orihime snapped out of her trance, "Hai." Her boss was a short man, relatively young too. He was just 23 and owned his own restaurant! He was a temperamental guy, but, was a sweet one. She came running, not literally, into his restaurant one afternoon asking for work. They had no spots for a part-time, but he was able to accommodate her. She supposed he sensed her urgency to work and hired her after a few days.

The rest of the evening, Orihime served endless tables and she could feel her feet begin to protest. She had one more table and it was a couple. The girl kept giving her shady looks and snobby remarks when asked if they needed any drinks, desert, etc. Her boyfriend couldn't keep his eyes away from Orihime's chest and even touched her hand at one point. She was passing him the extra set of eating utensils he asked for and his fingers brushed hers. She remembered running to the bathroom and scrubbing her hands with soup before forcing a smile on and returning to ask if everything was okay with the dreadful couple.

"Yeah! You can leave now! " the girl scowled, rolling her eyes and huffing at Orihime. "Whore," She growled under her breath and began to smother her scumbag of a boyfriend. Orihime nodded and walked off, running a hand through her hair out of sheer irritation. She _hated_ customers like that. The girl was so disrespectful. It's not like she was flirting with her boyfriend, he was the one who started his inappropriate gestures and gazes.

"Aww, what's wrong Orihime?" Rangiku asked noticing the look of irritation on her face, as she printed out the receipt for her current table.

"Ah nothing!" she whispered, knowing her friend would plan something.

"You're no fun! Tell me!"

"No it's okay, Ran!"

"Tell me!"

"It's okay, nothing to worry about." Her eyes betrayed her as she glanced at the table with the couple.

Rangiku followed her line of sight, "What happened? Tell me please!" The woman gave Orihime the sad puppy-dog eyes that always got the younger girl to consent.

"Okay, okay. Just promise you won't do anything!"

"Hmmm…" Rangiku considered this for a moment, "Okay!"

"Okay, so that girl was really rude to me."

"And?"

"Her boyfriend hit on me and she got mad so she was saying mean things."

"Oh! This should be fun!" She pocketed the receipt in the small checkbook. She skipped to the kitchen and emerged with a new tray in hand. Orihime watched in horror as Rangiku went over to the table, spoke something and "accidentally" slipped the pitcher of ice water on the girl. She spoke exaggerated and dishonest apologies. The girl began to curse and raise a scene, as Rangiku quickly returned and asked a busboy to place take care of the mess.

"You didn't have to do that!" Orihime reprimanded her. She should have known Rangiku would do something so extreme.

"Pishh Poshh! she deserved it. Besides, I'm trouble and you know it!" She grinned, "No one messes with my friend!"

Orihime blushed at her comment, "Thanks…I think," Rangiku and her were friends-in-the-making. They hung out once, and she had come visit her, and even ate her cooking. Orihime had even opened up to her about her unrequited love for Ichigo. Of course, Rangiku advised her on how her tits can get her someone better! This made no sense to Orihime as she often attracted scumbags like the guy that touched her hand. Eventually she would get somewhat serious and advise her.

Sooner than later, the couple left the restaurant. Of course, the deed did not go by unnoticed and Rangiku got a heavy scolding from the boss.

She smiled, gathering her hair to tie it in a ponytail, only to feel one of her hairclips missing. She often wore them both on the left side but she only felt one. She began to panic and retraced her steps for the day. She searched the kitchen, the cash register and the areas she served. She scurried to the unfortunate table she had served and looked beneath the table and around it. Sora gave those to her…they meant the world to her and if she lost one…it would just be incomplete. _She_ would feel incomplete. She took a deep breath and decided she would ask her fellow workers if they had seen it.

After a few minutes of questioning and getting no affirmation, Orihime was about to give up. She knew she put them both on that morning, and she knew she had come to work with them on. She had used the lady's room before her shift and they were there. Sparkling, shiny, and aqua-colored; proudly displayed with the utmost glory.

"Are you looking for this?" a mischievous voice drawled through her ears, awakening her from her thoughts.

She turned to the sound of the voice, and met the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Her face brightening as he held her precious hair-clip between his fingertips.

"Ah, yes. Where was it?" she shyly asked as she reached for her hair clip, only to have the man lift it high above her head. He stood at about six feet and her mere five feet were no match for the battle of height.

"You dropped it in your hurry from that table," he replied, a smirk decorating his lips.

"May I please have my hair-clip?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in anger as she hopped up in attempt to grab it from him. Inevitably, her breasts bounced along with her. This caused the man to chuckle at the action and her miserable misfortune. Suddenly, she felt his hot breath against her ear.

"And if I say no?" his voice dropped a notch into a husky whisper. He pulled away slightly, watching her reaction with an even wider smirk.

Orihime flushed at his close proximity and desperately tried to voice her response. "I…you…I…" she stuttered. She felt highly uncomfortable and even more so when he chuckled louder at her response.

"Grimmjow," an emotionless voice called. "What are you doing?"

She turned to the voice, a man with black hair and green eyes stood before them. His hands buried in his pockets of his expensive suit and his expression as calm as day. Grimmjow pulled completely away from her, his eyes locked onto her face and his unruly smirk still adorning his face. "I was simply returning her hairclip to her." He took her hand and placed the clip in it. "Don't drop something else around me or I'll be forced to _grab_ what you don't want me to," he added in his husky voice before he chuckled once again.

"Let's go, Grimmjow," the pale man walked off as the blue-haired man followed in tow.

Orihime watched in silence, taking a few breaths to compose herself. _That_ was the most humiliating thing she had ever experienced. Could today get any worse? She held the clip to her heart, coaxing herself to calm down. Why did everything happen to her? Was she not nice to everyone? Yes she was! She was nice to that girl even though she was really mean. She also said please to that Grimmhow…no..Grimmshow…uh…no Grimmjow , yeah that Grimmjow person! She sighed, wondering if this was karma for her brother's death…

"Ohh! What was that?" Orihime froze at Rangiku's voice. Rangiku slung an arm over her shoulder, a recurring action. "Told you your breasts could get you someone better! He was so hot! And I mean the blue-haired guy! The other guy was kind of cute though."

Orihime shook her head, staring off at the exiting men. She was still shocked at what had just transpired. That Grimmjow guy was extremely intimidating. He was so rude and so incredibly inappropriate! And that other guy…he didn't even spare her a look. Together they seemed like a devious pair. She could picture them now, parading around making women's lives a living hell with their jokes. Well, mostly the Grimm guy. The black haired guy seemed so mean, he probably wasn't a very happy man and Grimmjow seemed like he needed constant attention.

And what did he mean by _grab_?

_End Chapter_

**Author's Note:**

After writing this and letting it sit on my computer for a few weeks, I realized I wasn't truly happy with it and even fear posting it up. I feel like my writing is too uptight, but if I want my writing to get better then I should just let it be. I'm the type to overthink things and overanalyze everything which can be a good thing but in this case it takes away from my confidence.

Anyway, **no** **flames**. It's rude.

If you review, please provide constructive criticism.

Thank you!

_Ari E._


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